Obama administration was warned of Obamacare risks in March -report

WASHINGTON Nov 19 (Reuters) - Obama administration
officials, including senior White House staff, were warned last
spring of risks to the rollout of President Barack Obama's
healthcare law, including the danger of scant testing, according
to a report released by congressional investigators.

In a 14-part slide presentation, consulting firm McKinsey &
Co said a compressed testing window could inhibit the
administration's ability to resolve problems with the website,
HealthCare.gov, that could occur after the Oct. 1 launch.

It also found that the project lacked comprehensive
testing, noted many functions were dependent on contractors and
warned against taking risks to meet deadlines.

The presentation was given to officials at the Department of
Health and Human Services and the White House, including Health
and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in four
presentations between March 28 and April 8.

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce
Committee, which released the report on Monday, said Sebelius
testified at a panel hearing that the project was on track two
weeks after seeing the presentation.

But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS,
the HHS agency responsible for the rollout, said concrete action
was taken to address potential risks highlighted. A McKinsey
spokeswoman declined comment, saying its work for clients was
confidential.

"As we have said, CMS has continually evaluated progress and
has taken steps to prioritize and address concerns, and mitigate
risk," the agency said in a statement.

HealthCare.gov, the federal government's website for
providing subsidized health coverage to millions of uninsured
people in 36 states, crashed soon after its launch on Oct. 1 and
has been plagued by technical problems since.

Administration officials have blamed the troubles on
unexpectedly high volumes, acknowledged that more testing was
needed before the launch and have named a contractor to oversee
the repair project.

The McKinsey report also said there was a risk of problems
with the federal call center for potential applications and the
federal data hub, which serves as a high-tech bridge between the
marketplace, states and federal agencies. But those segments of
the system have been relatively problem-free.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)